


The World is Ending

by Kitsune058



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Aged-Up Losers Club (IT), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombies, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Bisexual Bill Denbrough, Bisexual Eddie Kaspbrak, Bisexual Stanley Uris, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Cannibalism, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Sex, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Richie Tozier, Horror, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M, Possible Character Death, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Straight Ben Hanscom, Straight Beverly Marsh, Swearing, Teenage Losers Club (IT), Weapons, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23938297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune058/pseuds/Kitsune058
Summary: The Losers save up enough money to go camping way down in the Tennessee mountains, but their peaceful getaway is soon disrupted, and their lives change forever.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom & Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough & Stanley Uris, Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 20





	1. Character Bios

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: This work gets more serious and to the point of the whole story at chapter 4 (which will be released later today.)  
> \-------------------  
> It's been years since I've written fanfic so I hope you guys enjoy! Constructive criticism welcome!

Richie Tozier -

Personality/Traits/BG:  
He wore thick black glasses and had huge front buck teeth which earned him the name "Bucky Beaver" by others in his school, though he was later dubbed "Trashmouth" by the Losers due to his foul language and loud mouth that often got him into trouble. He hated wearing the glasses, but found comfort in that one of his idols, Buddy Holly, was famous and also wore thick glasses. The other Losers often used the phrase "Beep-beep" whenever they needed to silence him. Although Richie misbehaved a lot in school, he received good grades besides the grades in behavior. At some point in the book, Richie accidentally insults Henry Bowers and his gang out loud, resulting in him getting chased and almost beaten. Richie is known for his hobby of doing Voices and impersonations, although when he is younger most of them were awful and sounded the same.

Appearance: Messy black hair, relatively large black glasses, dark brown eyes

Friends:  
Eddie Kaspbrak (Best friend), Beverly Marsh, Stan Uris, Mike Hanlon, and Ben Hanscom, Bill Denbrough (Best friend; looked up to Bill and was cited as the one who 'understood Bill better than anyone'.)

Family: Richie is shown to have had a positive upbringing. Richie's father, Wentworth, was an intelligent man with a career in dentistry who would happily indulge Richie's interest in 'voices',   
going so far as to use some of his son's phrases himself. Richie knew how to read his parents like 'well-worn and well-loved' books. While Richie's father did regard his son as a little silly, it's made clear that he cares about him and loves him dearly. Richie's mother, Maggie, was kind and attempted to understand her son, but experienced some difficulty due to Richie's gender. She goes so far as to wish Richie had been born a girl so he would be able to better understand some of the things he does, demonstrating her desire to be a good mother to him. While Richie's parents may falter on occasion, it is never nearly as severe as the other parents of Derry, who demonstrate great neglect and abuse toward their children (i.e. Eddie's overbearing, isolating, and manipulative mother; Bill's negligent parents, Beverly's abusive father, etc)

Love Interest: Eddie Kaspbrak

Nicknames: Rich (Losers), Trashmouth (Losers), Bucky-Bever (bullies)

Fears: Clowns, going missing, being forgotten, his sexuality being revealed

Age (Movie): 13  
Age (Fanfic): 17  
\-------------------------------------  
Eddie Kaspbrak - 

Appearance: Short in stature, short well-kept brown hair, thin, serious/judgemental facial features, honey brown eyes

Personality/Traits/BG: Hot-headed, smart, medically-inclined, unlucky (gets injured a lot, typically seen with bandaids on his legs) scaredy-cat/anxious (around ages 12-14, improves a bit with age.) As a child, Eddie was regarded as a fragile individual who was a hypochondriac, scared of the world and avoiding most situations in fear of getting sick or injured. However, he later proves that he is one of the strongest of the Losers when he is able to stand up to his overbearing mother and even save the Losers from certain doom on several occasions.

Friends: Bill Denbrough (Best friend), Stanley Uris, Mike Hanlon, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, and Richie Tozier (Best friend). (He idolizes Bill as the leader and attempts to follow his image when in difficult situations.)

Family: Sonia Kaspbrak (Mother, deceased), Frank Kaspbrak (Father, deceased. Died when Eddie was five, his death and Eddie's pneumonia shortly after may have been what triggered Sonia's hypochondria).

Love Interest: Richie Tozier

Nicknames: Wheezy (bullies), Girly boy (bullies), Eds, Eduardo, Spagheddie, Eddie Spaghetti, Eddie My Love (Richie)

Fears: Unsanitary conditions and germs (gets much better around age 13 onwards), serious illness (stemming from his mother and father’s medical history), 

Age (Movie): 12  
Age (Fanfic): 16  
\-------------------------------------  
Stanley Uris - 

Appearance: Short and curly light brown hair, hazel eyes, tall and lanky

Personality/Traits/BG: Fastidious (very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail), somewhat reserved and quiet, is more of an observer. Cowardly, methodical, mature, has OCD. Likes bird watching. He appears to have a close relationship with his parents, although they seem to put a lot of pressure on him. Strange sense of humor.

Friends: Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, Richie Tozier (Best friend), Eddie Kaspbrak, Mike Hanlon and Beverly Marsh.

Family: Donald Uris (Father), Andrea Uris (Mother)

Love Interest: Bill Denbrough

Nicknames: Stan (Losers), Stan the Man (Bill/Richie), Stanny (Bev/Richie), Flamer (bullies)

Fears: Disorganization, pretty much anything considered “scary”

Age (Movie): 13  
Age (Fanfic): 17  
\-------------------------------------  
Bill Denbrough - 

Appearance: Auburn hair, blue gray eyes, tall and lean, somewhat muscular

Personality/Traits/BG: Optimistic, valliant, a leader, confident, steadfast, talented writer and good at drawing. Bill's stutter noticeably gets worse when he is upset, angry, or afraid. He can be quick to blame himself if one of his adventures puts his friends in trouble. Somewhat reckless and impulsive, but i good at uniting his friends together. He is often seen as the glue that holds the group together. Despite being headstrong, he is smart and mature.

Friends: Stanley Uris, Ben Hanscom, Richie Tozier (Best Friend), Eddie Kaspbrak, Mike Hanlon and Beverly Marsh.

Family: Zack Denbrough (Father), Sharon Denbrough (Mother), Georgie Denbrough (Younger brother)

Love Interest: Stanley Uris

Nicknames: Stuttering Bill, Billy Boy, Pansy (Bullies), Big Bill (Losers)

Fears: Losing those close to him 

Age (Movie): 13  
Age (Fanfic): 17  
\-------------------------------------  
Beverly Marsh - 

Appearance: Ginger hair, gray-green eyes, pale skin, light freckles, thin, slightly curvy.

Personality/Traits/BG: Sassy, loyal, friendly, brave. Beverly would do anything to protect her friends and keep them all together, she has a mild fear of abandonment, as the Losers were her first true friends.

Friends: Stanley Uris, Ben Hanscom, Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, Mike Hanlon and Bill Denbrough.

Family: Alvin Marsh (Father, deceased), Elfrida Marsh (Mother, deceased)

Love Interest: Ben Hanscom

Nicknames: Bev (Losers), Molly Ringwald (Richie), Beaver-ly (bullies)

Fears: Blood, abuse (physical), Abandonment (mild)

Age (Movie): 12  
Age (Fanfic): 16  
\-------------------------------------  
Ben Hanscom - 

Appearance: Slightly Chubby , light brown hair, taller than Eddie, shorter than Bill, Mike, and Stan.

Personality/Traits/BG: Observant, a thinker, poetic, non-confrontational, smartest of the Losers

Friends: Stanley Uris, Beverly Marsh (Best Friend), Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, Mike Hanlon and Bill Denbrough.

Family: Arlene Hanscom (Mother), “Mr.” Hanscom (Father)

Love Interest: Beverly Marsh

Nicknames: Piggy, Porker, Fatboy, Tits (Bullies), Haystack (Richie), Benny (Mother)

Fears: Knives

Age (Movie): 13  
Age (Fanfic): 17  
\-------------------------------------  
Mike Hanlon - 

Appearance: Tall, decently muscular, short black hair and dark brown eyes.

Personality/Traits/BG: Somewhat quiet, level headed, good at planning, grounded, strong

Friends: Stanley Uris, Beverly Marsh (Best Friend), Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, Ben Hanscom and Bill Denbrough.

Family: William Hanlon (Father, deceased), Leroy Hanlon (Grandfather), Jessica Hanlon (Mother, deceased), Shirley Hanlon (Grandmother, deceased)

Love Interest: N/A

Nicknames: Mike and Ike (Richie)

Fears: Crows, Fire

Age (Movie): 13  
Age (Fanfic): 17


	2. Getaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Losers go camping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 will be up tomorrow after I get done work ^^ constructive criticism/feedback welcome

“This is going to be the best summer ever!” Richie declared, hopping out of the rental van. The other Losers followed suit, but in a less haphazard way.

“Yeah,” Bev nodded, “This is the first time I’ve ever been camping.” She noted, looking around. They were situated high in the mountains; the air was so clean and clear compared to Derry. She was still wondering how most of them got permission from their parents to come, especially because this was so far south compared to Maine. Bill, Ben, and Mike all helped unload the car, handing everyone’s belongings to them. Stan was the last to exit, letting out a big yawn and stretching. Long car rides really were not his thing.

“I’m sure you’ll love it,” Ben commented, appearing by her side and personally handing her her luggage. “There’s a lot to do here.”

“I sure hope so,” Eddie said dramatically, “school was a disaster this year. I’m fuckin’ over it.”

“I dunno, you only got shoved into a locker ONCE this year, I wouldn’t call that a disaster, Spagheddie. Unless you like being manhandled.” Richie quipped with a wag of his eyebrows. The smaller boy scoffed, “In your dreams, dumbass.”

“How did you know I manhandled you in my dreams?” He asked, feigning shock. Bev snorted and giggled. “Get a room,” Stan added, overhearing them.

“Well, for the most part we’ll all have our own tents.” Mike said, finally finishing unloading everything and closing the door behind him. The area they were in was known as the Smoky Mountains. While it spanned across a few Eastern U.S. states, they were in the Tennessean part of the mountains.

“Let’s pick spots for our tents,” Bill announced, “does everyone know who they’re bunking with?” They all nodded, with Eddie adding an eye roll as Richie slung an arm around his shoulder. “Don’t look so excited, Eds. I don’t know if we can handle it.” Richie sneered, although only jokingly. The group spread out around the campsite. It was situated on top of a small, flat hill, with a path leading down to a large lake. Luckily there was enough space for all of their tents and then some. They rented this spot for a week so it would only be them camping there, not having to deal with anyone else.

Richie and Eddie set up their tent close to the path on their left, leading down to the lake. Bill and Stan set up their tent a few yards away from the 2, off to their right. Ben and Bev set up their tents, and Mike, seeing as they only had 3 tents to begin with, opted for sleeping in the back of the large rental van. After everyone was set up and comfortable, they decided to get to work on a campfire. There was a large stone pit in the middle, all they were missing was sticks and logs, as Ben brought the lighter and some just-in-case lighter fluid. Mike hauled the cooler with the food and drinks closer to the fire pit as the rest of them went to gather kindling.

After all was said and done, they had a nice fire going. Everyone in the Losers club was laughing and telling stories around the fire, save for one: Eddie. He’d decided to go down to the edge of the lake and sit down, staring out over the water and watching the sun set. Richie was the first to notice his absence, wondering where he wandered off to. He excused himself from the group and went to look in the tent; it was empty. He zipped it back up and adjusted his glasses. ‘Where did he run off to?’ Richie asked himself. The boy seemed extremely moody lately, but he didn’t want to pry. He carefully made his way down the path to the water, finally discovering the whereabouts of his friend.

“What’s up, Eds?” He asked, taking a seat next to him. He fixed his eyes on the shorter boy. Eddie looked frazzled, his usually neat hair somewhat messy, and his legs drawn up to his chest, head resting on them and staring quite seriously out at the water.

“Nothin’,” he muttered.

“I know that’s a lie. What’s wrong?”

“It’s my mother!” Eddie snapped, he regretted it when he saw Richie flinch. “Sorry…it’s just, I know that she was horrible and controlling, but I don’t think she deserved to die like that. I mean, she was the only one who really looked out for me, even if it was manipulative and toxic.” He sighed. “There’s…more…but I don’t wanna talk about it.” He said, turning his head away from Richie. He could feel fresh tears threatening to spill out. Fuck, he didn’t want to cry in front of anyone, let alone Richie.

Richie sat there for a moment, silent, before putting an arm around Eddie and pulling him into a hug. Eddie wanted to push him away, after all, he’s not a weak child anymore. He doesn’t NEED protecting, but…it was nice, he begrudgingly admitted to himself. “It’ll be okay, Eddie. I know your family owns that house and that you’ve been staying there alone, but if you want I can move in with you, or you can move in with me,” he shrugged, “I’m sure my parents would be happy to have you.”

Eddie discreetly wiped away his tears, clearing his throat. “Well, maybe.” He sighed, letting the warmth from the other boy linger for a moment longer before pulling away. “Thanks, Rich.” He said, offering a small smile. A grin spread across Richie’s face, this boy was too cute. 

He tousled Eddie’s hair, messing it up more, “Alright Eds, let’s get back to the others, hm? I’m starving!” He said, bouncing back up onto his feet. Eddie pushed himself off the ground, “I’ll never know how you eat so much and remain so skinny.” He shook his head. Richie just grinned and ran up the slope, Eddie close behind. They took their seats around the fire where everyone was now roasting marshmallows and hotdogs.

“Welcome back.” Stan said, offering each of them a skewered, uncooked marshmallow. “Alriiiight Stan, that's why you’re Stan the Man. Gimmie that sticky white stuff.” Richie said, grabbing the skewer. Eddie cracked a smile, taking the other skewer from Stan. “Thanks, Stan.”  
The night was filled with more stories and laughter, and Eddie found himself feeling better. At least he still had the losers to make him feel better. Bill and Stan were the first to turn in, with Mike, Bev, and Ben following shortly after. Richie and Eddie sat around the now low fire, both pretty silent, just enjoying the night and the clean, fresh air. Richie watched as Eddie skewered a hotdog and held it over the fire, pulling it off when it turned a nice, dark brown color. “Do you often put wieners in your mouth, Eds?” He smirked, not even a half second later he felt Eddie’s fist punch his shoulder, complete with a scowl from the other boy. For a second, Richie was worried he went to far, until he heard Eddie reply, “Nah, not as much as you, Trashmouth.”

Richie snickered, eyes still concentrated on the other teen. “I’ll have you know it was only one dick, thank you very much.” He retorted playfully, but he didn’t catch the brief flash of shock that crossed the other boys face.  
“Uh huh, sure, I know you’re still a virgin,” Eddie scoffed, rolling his eyes. Richie let out a dramatic sigh, “You caught me, Eddie Spaghetti. I’m saving myself for someone.”  
Eddie raised an eyebrow but decided to not put much thought into it. Richie got up and stretched, “I’m heading to beddie, Eddie.” He smiled, walking back into the tent. Eddie grabbed the bucket they brought along and headed down to the water, filling it up and bringing it back to pour on the campfire. He set the bucket down and made his way to the tent, plopping down on the sleeping bag with a tired sigh. He rummaged through his bag for his pjs, quickly getting dressed and snuggling into his sleeping bag.


	3. Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie experiences gay panic for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now's probably a good time to mention the main ship is Reddie, with Stanbrough and Benverly sprinkled throughout. Also, yes, I do write it from Richie's pov a lot, I just find him easy to write :)

Richie couldn't sleep. He kept thinking back to the conversation between himself and Eddie. Sure, he knew why Eddie was upset, he lost his mom only a few weeks ago, his only known family. That would be rough on anyone. However, Richie knew that wasn't the only part of the story, Eddie had said there's something else, but what? He was sure that they told each other pretty much everything, being such close friends. Though Richie knew he wasn't being 100% transparent with Eddie either; but how were you supposed to casually bring up “Hey, I’ve had feelings for you since we were children.”? Also there was the fact that his sexuality still was a secret, he figured that his friends maybe knew about it, but he wasn’t entirely sure. It would be fine if they did know, Richie trusts all of them with his life after all, but he still had major anxiety about coming out to anyone, especially Eddie. He didn’t want to mess up their friendship. Richie was always casually flirting with Eddie, but he had to wonder, did Eddie ever figure out Richie likes him, or that Richie was simply being Richie, his usual inappropriate self?

The teen sighed, taking off his glasses and setting them aside. When he heard the tent being unzipped, he quickly pretended to be asleep. He heard the other boy rustling through his bag and clothes hitting the ground, and couldn’t help but sneak a peek. It felt wrong, it wasn’t right, Richie knew that, but this is the guy he’s had feelings for for so many years. Plus it’s not like he was watching him do anything inappropriate, right? I mean, locker rooms ARE a thing, boys always get changed in front of each other. Richie knew this was different and it made him feel dirty and a bit guilty, but damn if he wasn’t only human.

He took in the site of his best friend. Honestly, Eddie hadn’t really changed throughout the years. His mother's overbearingness always made sure that he didn’t get hurt, but that also meant he didn’t do things like workout with dumbbells or anything else heavy and potentially dangerous, so his body was still lithe and unmarred by everyday injuries. He might not have gained a ton of muscle or anything, but Richie thought the slender look fit Eddie more than the muscular look would any day. Right now, Eddie had his back turned on him, thank God for that, Richie would’ve just about died if he was caught peeping. Still, he couldn’t help but stare at how soft and fragile the boy looked. Richie wanted to protect him so badly, he would do anything for Eddie, as long as it meant he was safe. He tried not to be like Mrs. K however, he knew better than that. No child wants to be watched like a hawk and protected from even the tiniest scrape, but still, he wanted to wrap his best friend in his arms and make sure that nothing bad ever happened to him.

Hell, it nearly broke Richie’s heart that one summer when Eddie broke his arm thanks to Henry Bowers pinning it behind his back so violently. When the curly haired boy found out, he was ready to hunt Bowers down and go for blood, but Bill talked him out of it. That was probably for the best, at that age Henry would’ve easily beaten him to a pulp.

Richie was pulled from his thoughts when he saw the other boy getting ready to turn around. He quickly shut his eyes and prayed Eds didn’t see him. He tried to control his breathing as much as he possibly could, but held his breath when he heard footsteps approaching him. He decided to go for broke and continue with the “I’ve-been-sleeping-this-whole-time” act. The footsteps stopped in front of him as he heard Eddie drop to his knees gently. He then felt a hand delicately run through his messy hair, gently tidying it up a bit. Richie really wanted to look up, he wanted to ask what Eddie was doing, but he didn’t move a muscle. Still, he thought his rapid heartbeat would give him away. Despite that, he just concentrated on making his breathing slow and natural. “G’night, Rich. Rest well.” he heard his friend say softly. He waited until the footsteps retreated carefully back to the other side of the tent before cracking open his eyes. He watched as Eddie tucked himself into his sleeping bag, back facing towards the tent’s wall.

Richie let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. It was so hard not to go into gay panic mode when his friend leaned down near him. ‘What the hell was that?’ he wondered. Not that it was anything bad, because it certainly wasn’t, but he definitely wasn’t expecting it. Eddie isn’t a soft, sweet boy or anything, at least not around the Losers or himself when they were hanging out alone. It was totally welcome though; seeing Eddie’s softer side was quite pleasant compared to the constant eye-rolls and retorts he usually received from the amber-eyed teen. ‘Can’t blame him though, I am constantly being a little shit. Maybe instead of the flirting I should try being nicer,’ he thought to himself, but he wasn’t sure if Eddie would think that’s weird or that he’s up to something because of the sudden change in attitude. He sighed, ‘oh well, might as well get some rest.’ he thought, once again closing his eyes and letting sleep overtake him.

It wasn't the dappled sunlight shining through the tent and directly into his eyes that woke Richie, but rather the footsteps outside his tent. He briefly wondered what time it was before getting up and stretching, letting out a huge yawn. Looking over at Eddie’s side of the tent, he found that his sleeping bag was empty. DId everyone already get up before him? How late was it, and why did no one wake him? He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before getting up and getting dressed, opening the tent and stepping out into the sunlight. He took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and looked around. Bill and Stan were talking about who-knows-what while Ben prepared himself and Beverly some instant coffee. Eddie was rummaging through the cooler and bags for whatever it was they were going to eat for breakfast while Mike gathered more firewood and added it to the small fire they had going.

“What’s up, Losers?” Richie asked, several heads turning in his directions. “‘Morning Richie. Want some coffee?” Bev offered, holding out a 3rd cup to him. “Sure, thanks!” he said, grabbing the cup and taking a sip. Ah yes, scalding hot, just like his Spagheddie. He set his cup down on the makeshift log table and approached Eddie. “Need some help, Eds?” he offered.

“Yeah, have you seen the pancake mix?” he asked, exasperated. “I can’t find it or the skillet.”

“No, but I’ll help you look.” He offered, looking around the remaining bags. It took quite a bit of searching but he eventually found it. “Here we go,” he announced, removing the items from the bag. “Thanks.” Eddie said, taking them and setting the pan over the rack they had over the fire pit. The rest of the losers gathered, taking a seat.  
“So, what are we doing today?” Bev asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Well, Stan and I were talking about it,” BIll started, “And we think maybe we could either go hiking or go swimming. Maybe rent a few boats to go out on the lake with.” 

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’d like to go swimming.” Mike announced. Some of his best memories were of spending time with his friends in the quarry. 

“Well, I heard that on the hiking trail not too far in there’s a spot with a waterfall and a small lake. There’s also parts of the river where it’s shallow enough to stand in, you might even see fish swimming by.” Ben offered. The rest of the losers murmured agreements. “Then that settles it, a hike with some swimming involved!” Ben smiled.

While everyone else was talking, Eddie was working on making pancakes for everyone. He made sure everyone wound up with at least 3 flapjacks on their plate. He passed the plates around as he completed them. “Why, thank you, Eddie my love!” Richie grinned, taking the plate. The others also said their thanks, digging in with plenty of syrup and butter on top. Eddie took a seat next to Richie and began eating.

“Feeling better, Eds?” The curly haired boy asked, mouth full of pancake mush. Eddie’s face scrunched up in distaste, “I’m fine, but hasn’t anyone taught you not to talk with your mouth full?”

“You’d be the first.” Richie bantered. Eddie sighed dramatically, “Someone needs to teach you some manners.” he countered.

“Ooh, are you offering?” Richie asked only half jokingly. It was a pretty funny mental image of the shorty in front of him trying to act big and tough. “That’s pretty kinky, not gonna lie.”

Eddie slapped his arm, though Richie could tell it was more of a playful act rather than a malicious one. He was grateful to see Eddie lightening up a bit, he hated seeing the other boy upset or angry. “Whatever you say, Trashmouth.” 

Everyone chattered excitedly about their upcoming adventure as they ate their pancakes. When they finished, it was just about noon. Stan and Bill gathered the plates and set them into a bin to be washed in the nearby bathrooms later. The group packed whatever they might need into a backpack, including bug spray and sunscreen. “Is everyone ready?” Bill asked. The rest of the group nodded and they set off down the hill and onto the nearby path into the woods.


	4. Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The losers have their first run in with the infected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short because I didn't have a lot of time today, but I hope it brings you entertainment anyway! I'll try to post another chapter tomorrow.

The group seemed to be in good spirits, everyone chatting and joking around. Even Eddie was smiling and laughing along, even to Richie’s dumb jokes. The hike was decently long, but there was a ton of beautiful scenery to look at on the way. 

“Do you think these will make you trip balls, Eddie?” Richie asked, nudging a mushroom with his foot.

“No but it will probably kill you. Didn’t your parents teach you about eating random shit you find in the wild? You know mushroom spores can lead to inflammation and lung disease?” He huffed. Richie chuckled, “Alright, Eds, I get it. Let’s catch up with the group.” he said, grabbing the other teen’s hand and jogging to catch up to their friends. As they jogged Eddie glanced at their hands, thankfully Richie’s hands weren’t sweaty, but they did have a pleasant warmth to them that Eddie found he wanted to keep around. He sighed, and when they finally did catch up to the group, he let go.

“Here we are!” Ben announced triumphantly. It was everything he described it as, but even better. There was a decently sized waterfall cascading into clean, clear water below. The body of water turned into a lake, which at this time wasn’t dangerous due to the lack of rain. There were lots of vines, leaves, and flowers in the surrounding area; it seemed as though it was plucked right out of a fairy tale. The losers all looked around, wonder evident on their faces. “Wow Ben, how did you find out about this place?” Stan asked.

“I went to the welcome center and talked with some of the camping staff. They mentioned it and showed me where it was on the map. Pretty neat, huh?” Everyone nodded in agreement. Richie looked for a path leading up to the top of the cliff where they could jump into the pool below. Once he located it, he turned to his friends “Last one up there has a foot fetish!” Richie joked, sprinting up the slope. A chorus of ‘eww’ could be heard from behind, before he heard what sounded like a stampede behind him. Richie was the first to make it, then Mike, Bev, Bill, Stan, Eddie and Ben.

“Ha! I win, and Ben has a foot fetish. Lucky you, Bev!” Richie cackled. An audible groan could be heard from Ben, and there was a giggle from Bev. The losers all stripped down to the bathing suits and lined up at the top. “Who goes first?” Bill asked, the nearby waterfall almost drowning out his question. Bill could almost see the devil horns on Eddie’s head as he stepped out of line and snuck up behind Richie. “Have a nice fall!” he yelled before shoving Richie off the small cliff. Richie yelled as he fell, making a huge splash as he hit the water.

“You’ll pay for that, Edward!” He shouted back up. Bev then smirked and pushed Eddie, and before they knew it, everyone was pushing each other off. When they all hit the bottom there was plenty of laughter and splashing, even some playful dunking. Bill swam over to Stan, making sure he was okay. The jewish boy smiled at him “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Since we all went swimming, I mean.” Bill said, returning the smile. Stan nodded in agreement. “We didn’t get to hang out much thanks t-” he was cut off by loud screaming.  
“What the fuck was that?” Richie asked, the group looked around to try to pinpoint where it was coming from. “P-probably just some people doing the same thing we’re doing, farther upstream.” Bill offered. But the screaming wouldn’t stop.

“That...doesn’t sound like someone is having fun.” Stan commented, feeling a growing sense of dread.

“Should we go check it out?” Bev asked, everyone turned to look at her.

“Don’t you typically run AWAY from sounds of murder instead of towards them?” Richie asked, but his question got no reply, and made everyone feel uneasy. Bill was the first one to get out of the river, the rest following suit. They put their clothes on and propped the bags against a rock.

“C-come on, let’s see what’s happening.” Bill stuttered, something he really didn’t do anymore unless he was stressed or scared. The group nodded and started up the slope, everyone trying to walk a little quieter than they normally would. The screaming was growing nearer, but as they reached the top of the path, it suddenly stopped. The eerie silence made the hair on their necks stand up straight, but they continued on slowly, warily.

Eventually they saw a clearing up ahead, they all ducked behind a group of bushes, peering out. Fresh, bright red blood could be seen on the ground, but no body present.

“The fuck? What is this shit?” Eddie asked, feeling the panic grow in his chest. It felt like he was having an asthma attack. Despite finding out years ago he didn’t have asthma, he still found himself in the habit of reaching for his inhaler at the slightest threat of a panic attack. Richie grabbed Eddie’s hand, pulling the boy closer to him. “It’s fine Eds, you’re fine. Try to control your breathing.” Richie said, breathing in and out slowly with him until he calmed down. Bev looked sympathetic, and the others were still searching for anything suspicious without getting up. Eventually though, they did stand up. Bill put a finger to his lips, proceeding to creep carefully into the clearing, the rest of the Losers following suit.

Mike bent down and examined the blood. “That’s weird, there’s just this pool of blood, no signs that it was carried or dragged away.” He concluded, standing back up and facing everyone. “Shit! Watch out behind you!” He shouted at Stan, Stan jumped at the sudden outburst, whipping around only to see someone running at him. “Ahh!” he yelled, backing up towards the trees, the other teens hot on his heels. Panicked chatter and yelling erupted from the group of friends, as Bill grabbed a thick branch from the ground and charged at the person, giving a mighty swing to its head. The person fell over, growling and attempting to reach for Bill’s leg. Richie rushed over and snatched the stick from Bill, slamming it over its head repeatedly until it stopped moving.

Everyone stared in shock, partially at the unexpected attack and partially at Richie’s brutality. He turned towards them, “What? That thing was going to kill Bill!” he said incredulously. The rest of them gathered around, staring down at it.

“Well what the fuck is it? I mean...it looks human, but…” Ben trailed off. Bev grabbed his arm, scooching closer to him. “I don’t know. It’s pale and dead looking though -- moreso now that Richie beat it to death.

“Y-yeah b-but look at its mouth and hands, they’re s-s-stained with blood.” Bill said quietly. A silence fell over the group, before it finally clicked in Richie’s head.

“It’s a zombie.” He confirmed, using his foot to turn it over onto its back.

“What the hell do you mean? Zombies don’t exist. They only exist in movies and TV shows!” Eddie exclaimed.

“What else would it be?” Bev asked, “I’ve seen people get rabies and this is similar, but they aren’t foaming at the mouth, but this is...different, somehow.”

“Zombies don’t exist. How could they?” Mike asked, disbelief evident in his tone.

“Maybe it’s not a traditional zombie? This one doesn’t look like it crawled out of the ground. What Bev said could be plausible, it could be rabies but maybe an evolved strain of it.” Ben pondered.

“Whatever it is -- it’s not the only one. Remember there was screaming? That means one infected had to get to this one, right? Even if it’s the other way around, there’s another one out there.” Mike said, his gaze searching the trees.

“Th-the radio is back at camp, why don’t we head back and see if there’s anything on the news.” Bill suggested, leading the way quickly out of the clearing, not waiting for his friends replies. None of them offered any either, they just followed him as they always did. Bill was their fearless leader, someone they all looked up to one way or another. They made their way down the slope carefully, Ben picking up the bags they left near the rock. After retrieving their bags, they continued the hike back to camp. Everyone was on edge, understandably, and Richie could sense Eddie’s distress. He grabbed his hand, and Eddie looked up at him as they walked quickly. Richie offered a half-hearted smile, but didn’t say anything. His main goal was to keep Eddie and the rest of his friends safe, and he would do that, especially for his Eddie.


	5. Let's Make a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The losers decide where to go next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little short but I wanted to get something out since I've been busy with work these past few days. I'll try to make a longer chapter tomorrow, but my free days are on the weekend.

The Losers quickly reached the camp; all of them spreading out to look for the radio amongst their luggage. Bill found it and put it on their makeshift log table, turning it on and tuning it to the local news station. 

"...state of emergecy. The U.S. Government recommends everyone stay inside and lock their doors and windows, and recommend quarantining anyone who is injured by the infected. More information will be provided when available…...Attention U.S. citizens, this is a state of emergency. The U.S. Gov-" the message repeated on loop.

Everyone in the campsite remained quiet, unsure of what to do or say next. Bill was the first to speak. "W-Well, what do we do? We c-can't stay here in the tents, it's n-n-not enough protection." He said, clearly very on edge.

"It's still relatively quiet in this area since we rented it out for just ourselves," Bev started, "I recommend packing up our supplies and leaving to find shelter."

There were no arguments or other suggestions, just nods of agreement as everyone worked quickly and quietly taking down the tents and packing the bags and cooler into the van.

"I-I need to find a phone so I can call Georgie. I n-need to make sure he's okay." Bill stuttered out as they all loaded themselves into the van.

"Maybe there's a storm shelter or something we can take up residence in for a while. They should definitely have phones there." Mike suggested.

"Yeah but how many people had the same idea?" Richie argued; Eddie just sat quietly next to him, fidgeting with a loose string on his t-shirt. He looked to be thinking hard about something, but no one questioned it.

"Richie might be right, Mike." Ben added.

"What choice do we have? We don't know this state well and we can't just stay here with those things wandering around." Stan retorted.

"We're wasting time, let's go to the shelter." Bill concluded, gripping the wheel and throwing the van into drive. Next stop: the storm shelter.


	6. Conflicted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie doesn't know what he wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I'm an essential worker during this pandemic so I've been tired recently. Thanks for your patience!

The ride down the mountain was slow, to insure their safe descent. Stan noticed Bill seemed to be fidgeting a lot, presumably due to the slow pace. He placed his hand on Bill’s shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look. Bill felt a small smile creep onto his face; he knew everything would be okay as long as he had his friends.

The ride down was relatively quiet, there didn’t seem to be a lot of infected roaming around, and for a minute they thought, despite the radio message, it was a self-contained incident. However, as they reached the bottom of the trail leading off the mountain, several loud noises could be heard. From honking to screaming, and even an explosion from a nearby gas station. The loud boom made them all jump.

“Holy SHIT,” Richie exclaimed, looking at the fireball that erupted from the station.

“This is chaos…” Bev input, looking out the window at all of the abandoned, crashed cars and the people running away.

“We better hurry, Bill, but drive safe, try not to hit anyone. Is everyone's windows rolled up?” Mike asked, he received nods from all of the passengers.

“Turn right up there,” Stan guided, his head stuck in the map. Eddie stared out the window, shock and horror evident on his face. It was sad, seeing such carnage, seeing people get ambushed by the infected and be ripped apart. He subconsciously grabbed Richie’s hand and squeezed it, not looking away from the window. Richie squeezed his hand in return.

“Just don’t look at it, Eds.” Richie murmured quietly to him. Eddie pulled his hand away without a word, unable to look away from the window. It was just them in the back-most seat, so Richie took this chance to grab Eddie’s face with both hands and force his head to look at him instead of the window. “It’s not going to help you feel better.” he confirmed, a stern look on his face. Eddie scoffed and pulled Richie’s hands off of his face. 

“I know that. Doesn’t make what’s happening any less worrying or sad. I mean, what if y-” Eddie cut himself off, scowling and turning completely towards the window. Eddie felt the familiar sting of tears threatening to spill. ‘I’m not going to cry in front of Richie AGAIN,’ he thought to himself, swallowing hard. He already lost his mom, and truthfully? He didn’t even want to think about losing the other most important person to him. Richie had been so attentive and kind since Eddie’s mom passed, it was a little weird, considering he was so used to Richie just constantly teasing him, but it was really nice as well. Eddie soon found himself developing feelings for the other boy. At first he thought he was straight, he only ever liked one girl, Greta Bowie, but after he found out what an absolutely horrendous person she was to Bev, he stopped liking her. 

Richie was his first, and certainly unexpected, male crush. Eddie wondered if maybe he was bi-sexual, but even if he was, he still thought it felt awkward being attracted to his best friend. Sure, Richie flirted with him a lot, but it was just playing around, right? That’s just who Richie was. Eddie chalked it up to friendly banter. Still, when Richie did things like take his hand, he felt butterflies in his stomach, as stupid and corny as that sounds. Even a simple sincere smile from Richie has enough to make Eddie feel as light as a feather. While lost in thought, he felt himself being grabbed from behind and pulled into a hug. Eddie felt his stomach churn, he had already been close enough to tears, but now, the feeling of being held closely to Richie, the feeling of having his back laid against Richie’s chest, was enough to let the tears spill over quietly. He didn’t dare look at Richie, and didn’t dare say a word, knowing his voice would betray him.

This was wrecking him on the inside, he felt at constant war with himself. He wanted to turn around and bury his face in his friend's chest, but at the same time, that was weird, they’re only friends; Eddie felt like a freak for even letting the thought cross his mind. He opted for just closing his eyes and enjoying the comfort of being close to him. It couldn’t hurt, right? After all, he wasn’t the one who initiated the hug, so it was probably okay. Eddie spared a glance at the others, but thankfully no one was interested in seeing what they were up to, they were too distracted with locating the shelter.

“Hey, Eds, are you okay?” Richie asked quietly. Eddie swallowed and nodded, scrubbing tears from his eyes. He cleared his throat, trying to sound confident and unaffected. “I’m fine, thanks.”

Richie sighed at Eddie’s stubbornness. Something was clearly bothering the boy, he figured it was still about his mom; she had only passed away a little over a month ago, but he still couldn’t help but wonder what Eddie was about to say before he cut himself off. He could tell that Eds was crying, but definitely didn’t want to call him out on it, knowing that he would get mad and vehemently deny it.

Eddie wasn’t the only one silently suffering with his feelings, though. Richie wanted so badly to just lay his head on Eddie’s shoulder and to run his fingers through his soft brown hair, but he knew that even just hugging him like this was pushing it. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship by having Eddie find out how he really felt about him. While this hug felt a little more intimate than a normal hug, if asked Richie would just say it was the easiest to do while they both had their seat belts on, there was no other reason. However, he was surprised that Eddie hadn’t pulled away yet, but he didn’t mind. These moments were rare, Richie never got to be this close to Eddie without some sort of protest from the smaller boy.

Sadly, it didn’t last long enough. Before he knew it, he felt the van jerk to a stop, the two boys quickly separated, each looking in opposite directions with blushes on their face. 

“We’re here,” Bill announced. The ride was bumpy and a little hectic, but they had finally made it. The parking lot was strewn with cars, none seeming to care about organized parking. They all hopped out and made their way to the doors. Bill knocked loudly and saw the door inch open the slightest bit. “We’re full.” the guard said.

“Please, I just need to use the phone. I need t-to call my brother,” Bill stuttered, “Please.”

“Our phones are down. Sorry.” the guy said quickly, closing the door. Bill pounded on it again, but received no answer. Stan and Bev put their hands on his shoulders, guiding him away. “Maybe we can raid a house?” Ben suggested, “An abandoned one I mean.”

“That might be okay,” Mike nodded, “it might not be a bad idea to also find a home that’s abandoned, has food, and is secure enough to keep the infected out.” 

“That feels wrong though,” Stan chimed in.

“Well, do we have a choice? Besides, if it’s abandoned, then it shouldn’t be an issue, right?” Richie asked. Eddie nodded in agreement.

“A-alright then, let’s go.” Bill said. They piled back into the van and started their hunt for a house.


	7. It's a start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The losers find a house to shelter in for a short while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo that was a long hiatus I know, but I was really busy with work. I have most of this week off so I'll try to write as much as I can! I still have other responsibilities though. Enjoy this chapter in the meantime!

Chaos was still rampant in the streets of the small town. Their way of traveling wasn’t exactly quiet and drew the attention of the infected, a few of them broke away from their already doomed victims and started chasing the van.

“C’mon Bill, you gotta go faster.” Bev urged.

“I-I’m trying but there's so much in the way.” he replied, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he concentrated.

“There’s plenty of houses but our vehicle attracts too much attention. Maybe we should hide it and continue on foot when it's darker, maybe by then things will clear out a bit.” Mike stated.

“Okay but even if we continue on foot, we don’t have any weapons. And who’s to say someone won’t break into the van and steal it along with all of our stuff? Even if we pulled over now, we would still have them trailing us.” Eddie piped up. Richie spared a glance at Eddie, what he was saying was true, there’s too many ifs. 

“How about we drive to a more quiet, secluded spot and hide the van in the woods or something? We just need to make sure we don’t park too far from the houses so we can actually get there and back safely. If it’s quiet enough maybe we can even bring the van to one of the houses and park it there and get some sleep inside of the house.” Ben offered. A chorus of ‘yeahs’ and ‘okays’ rang out amongst the group, and with that they continued on their way.

The more they drove, the less infected they saw. However, it also confirmed their suspicion that less houses would be available. Once they were sure no infected were trailing them, they pulled into a forest-covered mini driveway. It didn’t lead anywhere, but it was secluded enough and had enough cover from the trees to be somewhat secure from passers-by. The group climbed out of the car, with Bill scanning the area.

“Over there,” he pointed. A small blue house with a metal fence out front was the closest one to them, but they still had to be careful. With everything except for a few makeshift weapons (mainly out of metal roasting skewers and tree branches) they carefully crept out of the cool shade of the trees. Giving another cursory glance around the area, Bill motioned for them to follow him, and they did so, quietly. Eventually they made it to the fence. Thankfully it didn’t seem to be locked. The group entered the yard and approached the house.

“Who else wants to go in with me?” Bill asked, turning to his friends. All of them seemed reluctant, but eventually Bev spoke up. “I’ll go, Bill.”

Mike stepped up beside her “Count me in.” he stated. Bill smiled at them gratefully. Turning back to the door, he tried the handle. It was locked. He cursed under his breath. He supposed this made sense anyways, the owners must’ve been out when all of this happened, for there were no cars in the driveway either. He got down on one knee and searched the plants and the doormat, looking for a spare key. Eventually he found it, nestled underneath a few loose bricks. He thanked his lucky stars that they actually had a spare key to the front door. He stood back up and tried the key; it slid in smoothly and unlocked when he turned it. Carefully, he pushed the door open and peeked inside. All seemed relatively quiet. Taking that as a positive sign, he opened the door further and motioned for the others to come in. Mike and Bev followed behind while the other boys kept watch outside for any potential trouble. They explored the house, being sure to be quiet and to push open the doors slowly and quietly. After their scouting was done and they were satisfied that it was safe, they called out to the other losers to come in.

“Thanks Bev, Mike.” Bill acknowledged. They nodded in unison as the others filed in, setting their makeshift weapons down. 

“I’m going to try to call Georgie, c-can a few of you get the su-supplies from the van? Just the essentials. We’ll camp here for a day and th-th-then we’ll get moving. I want to make it back home.” He managed to say, throwing the keys to Bev. She nodded and selected Mike, Ben, and Richie to come with her; while Bill went into the kitchen to pick up the phone he saw on the wall earlier. He dialed the number quickly, putting the phone to his ear and listening to it ring. ‘Please, please, please pick up…’ he begged silently. The phone only went through to voicemail. He let out a string of cusses and waited for the voice mail option. “Hey G-Georgie, it’s Billy. Things aren’t so great down here, th-there’s some kind of pandemic and people are killing each other. If you get this message, d-d-don’t leave the house and lock all of the doors and windows and be as quiet as possible. We’re on our way back...I love you. Be s-safe.” He begged again, the desperation clear in his voice. He let out a heavy sigh and hung up the phone, banging his head against the wall once out of frustration. He let it sit there for a moment before pulling himself away, only to see the rest of his friends make it back with the supplies. 

“So...is there any food in here?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah, I’m starving. We didn’t exactly get a chance to eat before we left. Let’s raid the fridge and the cupboards.” Richie chirped, running into the kitchen. A few of them rummaged through the kitchen, pulling out frozen dinners and cans of food, along with some ramen packets and a couple packages of various snacks like cookies. Stan looked through the fridge and found some orange juice and soda. They piled the stuff on the table to get a better look at everything.

“I say we should all eat something, and then save the rest of what’s on the table and in the other cupboards to bring with us while we travel. I imagine we won’t get this lucky again, and food will be hard to come by.” Ben stated, rationing out the food.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Stan added. The rest of them muttered acceptance. They went about making their food and drinking whatever was perishable, so they could bring the shelf stable stuff with them without worrying about refrigeration issues. Afterwards, they set up their sleeping stations in the living room, deciding it would be better to stick together incase trouble arose. It was a little past mid-day, too early to go to sleep. Instead, they had a little get together to plan what to do next.

“We should probably sleep now and travel by night. Maybe there won’t be a lot of them at night. It also reduces our chances of running into the other people. What do you think, Bill?” Mike asked, looking to their fearless leader. Bill hummed, thinking it over.

“That might be for the best. We still don’t know anything about these things.” he said.

“Well, they’re basically zombies, right? So, we do what they do in every zombie movie, if we need to kill them, we aim for the head; destroy the brain. That should work.” Richie commented.

“Technically they’re infected,” Ben emphasized, Richie rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, same thing right, Eds?” The curly hair boy asked, turning to the small brunette. 

Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. We don’t know, they could act differently.”

“They seem kinda the same,” Bev replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Stan sighed, “Who cares? Everything would die with enough head trauma. Let’s just do that if it comes down to it.”

They looked at each other and nodded; fair enough.

“Well, anyways, let’s get some sleep.” Bill declared. “We’ve got a long night ahead of us.” And with that they crawled under their blankets and laid down on their pillows, all except for Bill, who decided he would keep watch. He didn’t think he could sleep anyways, he was too worried about Georgie. It had only been an hour or so but the phone never rang. He went around making sure the doors and windows were shut and locked tightly, then sat down a the kitchen table with a sigh. “We’ll get through this.” Bill said, trying to comfort himself. As he looked down at his sleepy friends, he felt like maybe he could truly believe it, as long as he had them by his side.


End file.
